--- source: thedugout.football generated: 2026-07-25T11:21:03.810Z last_updated: 2026-07-24T04:00:00+00:00 data_provider: API-Football canonical: https://thedugout.football/clubs/brighton/news/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGhlYXJndXMuY28udWsvc3BvcnQvMjY0MDM0ODYudGhyZWUtaGlkZGVuLWdlbS1icmlnaHRvbi1wbGF5ZXJzLW1heS1mZWF0dXJlLXNlYXNvbi8_cmVmPXJzcw --- # Three ‘hidden gem’ Albion players that may feature this season - **Source:** - **Published:** 24 Jul - **Club:** Brighton - **Original URL:** https://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/26403486.three-hidden-gem-brighton-players-may-feature-season/?ref=rss Brighton and Hove Albion FC Football Sport As club record signing Luka Vuskovic said, Brighton are one of ‘the biggest machines in the world for producing young players’. Moises Caicedo is perhaps the best example of Brighton's recruitment model. Signed from Ecuador for just £4.5 million, he developed into one of the world's best midfielders before Chelsea paid a British record £115 million to sign him. Brighton repeated the trick with Alexis Mac Allister. The Argentina international arrived for around £7 million, won the World Cup during his time at the club, then completed a £35 million move to Liverpool. Marc Cucurella is another success story. Brighton signed the Spaniard for £15 million before selling him to Chelsea for £62 million after just one outstanding season on the south coast. It's not just overseas talent either. Academy graduate Ben White came through the club's loan system before establishing himself in the first team, eventually earning Brighton a £50 million transfer fee from Arsenal. Not to mention, Robert Sanchez, Leandro Trossard, Yves Bissouma, and now Jan Paul van Hecke all being trained up by the club, moving on accordingly. That gives you enough to know that young players at Brighton are worth analysing. And as the 2026/27 preseason kicks off, here’s who fans should look out for. First up is 20-year-old Malick Yalcouyé. He played 33 matches for Swansea last season. And despite netting just one goal in that time, YouTube is flooded with highlight videos of the Mali-born footballer. The central midfielder has a similar style to Yankuba Minteh. Once Malick has the ball, he drives aggressively towards the opposition with intent. He has a relentless attitude to football, with outrageous dribbling ability and agility that allows him to glide past players. He signed a five-year contract with Brighton from Swedish side IFK Göteborg back in July, 2024. Yalcouyé has never played a first-team game for The Seagulls. He’s a player that could break into the side this season. Albion face a rigorous schedule if they win their Conference League two-legged play-off tie. After scoring an acrobatic goal in Brighton’s first preseason game, Ibrahim Osman has to be watched. It was certainly a reminder that he had a successful season on loan in the Championship. Osman has now been at Brighton for two years, spending the first back on loan at Feyenoord, where his campaign was viewed as something of a mixed bag. His half-season at Birmingham City produced two goals and two assists, although his numbers could easily have been higher. There were questions over his end product despite regularly finding himself in dangerous positions, but there was also plenty of excitement about the potential he showed. His display on the right wing against Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday certainly caught the eye. He played a key role in a slick move down the right before cutting the ball back from the byline for Charalampos Kostoulas to tap home. He then added his own name to the scoresheet with an improvised overhead kick that bounced beyond the goalkeeper to make it 3-0. The 21-year-old also spent the first half of last season on loan at Auxerre in France and is one of several wide players pushing to impress at Brighton. He remains under contract at the Amex until 2029, although Birmingham believe a permanent move could still be possible. The biggest hurdle, however, would be finding the funds to make a deal happen. Harry Howell has already featured for Brighton, but there’s a good chance he’ll be seen a lot more this campaign. Howell joined The Seagulls as an academy player as an under-9. His development has been exciting to say the least, making his PL 2 debut as a 15-year-old. It was January 2024 that saw his first team debut in Brighton’s 3-2 win over Liverpool in 2024. In the 2025/26 season, Harry made three Premier League appearances for Brighton, two of those coming off the bench. The attacker’s single PL start was against Crystal Palace.. The 18-year-old has versatility, something the Brighton head coach loves. He can play as a CAM, a right winger and even a centre-forward. If Fabian Hurzeler wants to keep hold of Howell, he may have to utilise him in that no 10 position, or as a potential out-and-out striker.